ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM's remarks at the start of Monsoon Session of Parliament
Namaskar friends,
I am getting to see you today after a long gap. Hope you all are doing well! Hope there isn't any crisis in your family! Well, may God bless you!
The Parliament session commences today under special circumstances. There is a corona pandemic on one hand while our obligation towards fulfilling our duties on the other; and all the MPs have chosen the path of duty. I congratulate and thank all the MPs for this initiative.
The budget session had to be wrapped up ahead of time. This time, Parliament will be functioning twice a day, once the Rajya Sabha, once the Lok Sabha. The shift timings had to be changed too. The weekend breaks on Saturday-Sundays too have been cancelled this time. But all the members have accepted this, welcomed this and have decided to continue on the path of duty.
Several important decisions will be taken in this session, various topics will be discussed, and our experience tells us that the more we discuss in the Lok Sabha, the more diverse the discussion is in the House, the more beneficial it is for the country and solving the issues at hand.
I believe that this time too, following that great tradition, all the MPs will come together and add value to it. Under the present situation created by corona, we have to follow the rules and move ahead with great precautions. And it is also clear that we cannot afford any laxity in our approach unless there is a medicine. We are hoping that the vaccines should come up from any corner of the world as soon as possible, our scientists become successful in this direction as soon as possible and we can succeed in getting everyone out of this crisis.
This House, particularly this Session, has one more crucial responsibility. Today the brave soldiers of our army are on the borders. They are defending the borders with great courage and high spirits, in the difficult terrains. And the rains are going to begin in a few days. Just like the faith with which they are standing, determined to protect the motherland, these Houses and all the members of the House too will send out a message in a unanimous voice, spirit and resolve - the country stands in support of the Indian army through the Houses and the Members of Parliament. The entire House stands with the brave soldiers of the country with one voice; I believe that this House and all the honorable members too will give out a very strong message. I would also say that in the period of Corona, you will not get the opportunity to freely move everywhere like before, and please take care of yourselves, friends. You will get every news, it is not a difficult task for you, but please take care of yourselves, it is my personal request to all of you.
Thank You Friends!
Ministry of Coal
Production and annual consumption of coal in the country
In the current financial year 2022-2023 , the country has produced about 785.24 MT of coal as compared to about 681.98 MT during the same period of last year with a growth of about 15.14%. The all India coal production in the year 2021-2022 was 778.19 Million Tonne  in comparison to 716.08 MT in the year 2020-2021 with a growth of about 8.67%. Most of the requirement of coal in the country is met through indigenous production / supply. The focus of the Government is on increasing the domestic production of coal and to eliminate non-essential import of coal in the country.
Details of coal supply, imports and consumption in the country for the last five years are as under:
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[Figures in Million Tonnes ]
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|
Year
|
|
2017-18
|
|
2018-19
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2019-20
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2020-21
|
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2021-22
|
|
Total Consumption / Demand 
|
|
898.25
|
|
968.14
|
|
955.72
|
|
906.13
|
|
1027.92
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Total Import 
|
|
208.25
|
|
235.35
|
|
248.54
|
|
215.25
|
|
208.93
|
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Total Domestic coal Supply 
|
|
690.00
|
|
732.79
|
|
707.18
|
|
690.88
|
|
818.99
For the year 2022-23, the total import upto December, 2022 is 186.06 MT and the total domestic coal supply upto February 2023 is 794.96 MT.
The 5 major overseas supplier countries of coal are Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, USA & Russia.
This information was given by the Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Government Doubles its effort in fight against COVID-19
With ongoing second phase of lockdown, the Government of India has doubled its efforts in its fight against COVID-19 while no stone has been left unturned to protect the interest of farmers and poor in the states of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. With procurement process having started in these agrarian states, the relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana is providing a much needed help to the poor in the region.
The procurement of Pulses & Oilseeds at MSP from farmers under the Price Support Scheme  scheme in Rabi 2020-21 season is currently in progress in most of the states across India. Procurement of Mustard seeds and Gram was started in Haryana from 15-04-2020 in 163 centres. Limited numbers of farmers are being called every day at these centres to ensure social distancing. About 82886.87 MT of Mustard seed has been procured from about 32779 farmers in the first four days.
Rajni, a resident of Panchkula said she has received 25 kg additional ration under her BPL card. Additional foodgrains will be a great help as it is sufficient to last for 1-1.5 month and this move has brought relief to people like her, she said while thanking the Government.
https://twitter.com/ROBChandigarh/status/1251802702926868480?s=09 
Navdeep Mallhi from Gurdaspur district in Punjab said central government has provided free gas cylinder under PM Ujjwala Yojana and money under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. He also said this has kept alive hope among poor during these times.
https://twitter.com/ROBChandigarh/status/1251806690380374016?s=09 
A leading Fertilizer company, National Fertilizers Ltd. under the Union Department of Fertilizers , Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry, Govt of India, is taking active part in distributing essential items like food, medicines and masks to support Government in its effort to combat COVID-19. NFL Bathinda unit has provided 3,000 Masks to Distt Administration, Bathinda to fight Corona Pandemic. NFL Panipat unit has contributed One Lakh rupees to District Relief Fund, Panipat.
Theprecautions related to COVID-19 have beenfollowed by peoplein rural and remote areas of Himachal Pradesh. As can be seen in photographs people have maintained social distancing and covered their faces while standing in a queue for cylinders in a village in Kinnaur district. Jitendra Kumar from Nahan has received Rs 2000 under PM-KISAN and expressed gratitude to theGovernment of India. He said the amount will definitely provide much needed assistance in these difficult times.
https://twitter.com/PIBShimla/status/1251754427377123329?s=09
https://twitter.com/PIBShimla/status/1251744282479693824?s=09
The Government of India has launched a 1.7 lakh crore relief package under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana in March to help poor and vulnerable to cope up with the effects of lockdown soon after announcing a country-wide lockdown.More than 32 crore poor people have received financial assistance of Rs 29,352 crore under the package.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles passing away of Mathematician Dr. Vashishtha Narayan Singh
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has condoled the passing away of Mathematician Dr. Vashishtha Narayan Singh.
“गणितज्ञ डॉ. वशिष्ठ नारायण सिंह जी के निधन के समाचार से अत्यंत दुख हुआ। उनके जाने से देश ने ज्ञान-विज्ञान के क्षेत्र में अपनी एक विलक्षण प्रतिभा को खो दिया है। विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि”, the Prime Minister said.
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Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Panchayati Raj observing Swachhta Pakhwada from 1st October to 15th October 2020
Swachhta Pakhwada of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is being observed during 1st October – 15th October 2020 with special focus on undertaking special cleanliness drive, promoting behavioural changes, improving hygiene & sanitation practices and spreading the message of Swachhta, which has assumed renewed significance to contain the spread of the Coronavirus in current times.
Swachhta Pakhwada was inaugurated by Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, who administered the ‘Swachhta Pledge’ to all officers and staff at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi on 1st October 2020. Swachhta Pledge was administered in bi-lingual . Similar programmes were also organised at Jeevan Prakash Building and Jeevan Bharti Building where different Divisions / Sections of the Ministry are currently located.
Senior officers and staff-members participated in shramdaan to spruce up office premises and surrounding areas of the building. An appeal on “No to Plastics” was also made while briefing the staff-members about Swachhta Pakhwada which has gained even greater importance / relevance this year in view of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Biodegradable paper banners have been displayed at strategic locations of the Ministry for awareness regarding Swachhta-related issues. Good quality masks and gloves etc. were distributed among housekeeping staff-members for maintaining proper hygiene in view of the present pandemic scenario.
Ministry has requested State/UT Departments of Panchayati Raj to actively participate and ensure participation of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the Swachhta Pakhwada activities – adhering to social distancing and other preventive measures – with focus on widespread general cleanliness, positive behavioural changes, promoting good hand hygiene & mask etiquette during COVID-19 pandemic scenario, stop plastic use, reduce waste etc. The concerted and collective efforts of the entire Panchayati Raj network during the Swachhta Pakhwada will yield visible positive results in the country's earnest endeavour for total cleanliness and controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Employment Situation Improves
15.41 lakh net subscribers added during September 2021 in EPFO
LFPR , WPR  and UR  are the indicators reveal that the employment scenario has improved significantly over the years .
In the year 2019-20, Labour Force Participation Rate for persons aged 15 years and above, rose significantly to 53.5 % as compared to 49.8 % in 2017-18 and 50.2% in 2018-19 indicating a positive aspect of a greater number of peoples are entering in the labour force  of the nation.
Unemployment Rate has declined to 4.8% as compared to 6.0% in 2017-18 and 5.8% in 2018-19 indicating that the number of unemployed persons has reduced considerably.
The data further showed that the WPR has also increased to 50.9 % from that of 46.8 % in 2017-18 and 47.3% in 2018-19, indicating more persons of age 15 years and above are now employed as compared to preceding years.
Provisional payroll data of EPFO published on 20th June, 2021, highlights that despite Covid-19 pandemic, cumulative net addition of subscribers for FY 20-2021 i.e., 77.08 lakh is almost at par with last year viz. 2019-20 . It is observed that there is addition in net payroll in each month of 2020-21 except for the month of April and May 2020.
It is pertinent to mention here that most of the economic activities during the month of April and May 2020 were at the halt due to lockdown measures put in place in these months. With the unlocking of economic activities in phased manner w.e.f June 2020, addition can be seen in the net payroll data in the subsequent months. As, per the provisional payroll data of EPFO published on 20 November, 2021, EPFO has added around 15.41 lakh net subscribers during the month of September 2021.
Employees’ Provident Fund Organization  is a mandatory saving scheme under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, covering every establishment in which 20 or more persons are employed subject to certain conditions and exemptions as provided for in the Act. The number of members subscribing to this scheme gives an idea of the level ofemployment in the formal sector as the subscribers get certain entitlements as provided for in the Act..
|
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Net payroll 
|
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Year/month
|
|
Male
|
|
Female
|
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Total
|
|
2018-19
|
|
48,83,757
|
|
13,05,172
|
|
61,12,223
|
|
2019-20
|
|
62,73,841
|
|
15,93,614
|
|
78,58,394
|
|
2020-21
|
|
63,13,635
|
|
13,98,080
|
|
77,08,375
|
|
April 2021
|
|
6,13,384
|
|
1,93,803
|
|
8,06,765
|
|
May 2021
|
|
4,31,423
|
|
1,30,976
|
|
5,62,216
|
|
June 2021
|
|
7,85,524
|
|
1,86,039
|
|
9,71,244
|
|
July 2021
|
|
9,81,733
|
|
2,49,319
|
|
12,30,696
|
|
August 2021
|
|
10,93,575
|
|
2,66,834
|
|
13,60,122
|
|
September 2021
|
|
12,14,786
|
|
3,26,825
|
|
15,41,396
Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises
Nitin Gadkari Inaugurates Two-day Workshop on Implementation of Clusters under Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries  in New Delhi
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a two-day Workshop on implementation of traditional artisan clusters under Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries  at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday. Minister of State for MSME, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi was also present on the occasion. Shri Gadkar inaugurated the workshop by lighting the lamp. The purpose of the workshop is to train the stakeholders to plan the implementation of the clusters in a time-bound manner so that the benefits of the Government interventions reach the beneficiaries early, enhancing their quality of production and increasing their income. Nearly 400 organisations associated with the SFURTI scheme in different capacities are expected to attend the two-day event, either physically or through video conferencing. Case studies of successful implementation of SFURTI clusters will also be discussed.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Gadkari set a target of 5,000 clusters under SFURTI, from present 394 approved clusters, and said that “the system should be digitalised and made time-bound, result-oriented, transparent and corruption-free”. He said that contribution of MSME sector to the GDP of the country should be increased to 40 per cent. He also mentioned that the MSME sector has provided around 11 crore jobs across the country. The Minister also exhorted the MSME Ministry for adhering to a timeline of three months for scrutiny and approval / rejection of an application. He said the dilly-dallying tactics should be done away with. Shri Gadkari stressed on proper “cooperation, coordination and communication between the stakeholders”.
Shri Gadkari emphasised that “every district should have a branch of Khadi Gramodyog and Village Industries and the turnover should reach five lakh crore from present 88,000 crore rupees”. He also said that “all schemes should be assessed in terms of how many jobs they have created and how many lives it has improved”.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for MSME, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi said that “in order to achieve the goal of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the country will have to adapt competitive speed”. He said that “there should be such clusters in every village and the willpower, technical upgradation of all concerned agencies can certainly make anything possible”. He said that “we should use sustainable technology and keeping the nation first, will benefit everyone”.
As on date, 394 clusters have been approved under SFURTI, out of which 93 are functional clusters, assisting 2.34 lakh beneficiaries with the Government of India assistance to the tune of Rs.970.28 crore. The main sectors covered under the scheme include handicrafts, handloom, khadi, garments, coir, bamboo, agro processing, honey etc.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
Highest ever 1.33 crore doses have been administered in a single day
65.41 Cr. vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
More than 18.3 crore doses have been administered in the month of August
41,965 new cases in the last 24 hours
Active cases account for 1.15% of total cases
India's Active caseload stands at 3,78,181
Recovery Rate currently at 97.51%
33,964 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 3,19,93,644
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 3% for last 68 days
Daily positivity rate reported to be 2.61%
52.31 cr Total Tests conducted so far
Ministry of Science & Technology
Third phase of Indian Beamline for Materials Research in Japan initiated focusing on industrial application research
The third phase of the Indian beamline project, a facility for materials research set up under India-Japan Scientific and Technological Cooperation, was initiated on March 23, 2021, with special focus on industrial application research.
The initiation of the third phase took place with the signing of MoU between Ambassador of India in Japan Mr. Sanjay Kumar Verma with Director, Institute of Material Structure Science, Dr. KOSUGI Nobuhiro.
The phase would increase the number of young researchers from India to be trained in advanced X-ray techniques of material research. Besides, steps will be taken to allocate more beamtime so that more researchers can get access to it. At present, only 50 % of Indian researchers who apply receive beamtime.
The Indian beamline has been constructed and maintained by Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics , Kolkata and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research , Bangalore; in Japanese synchrotron light source Photon Factory  of High Energy Accelerator Research Organization , with support from Nano Mission, Department of Science and Technology .
This India-Japan Scientific and Technological Cooperation project was initiated between the DST and the KEK on 24 July 2007. In the first phase  of this project, an X-ray beamline  was constructed by SINP in PF, and over the years, this facility has provided substantial amount of quality beamtime for the use of Indian scientists to carry out front-ranking research in advanced materials including nano materials.
So far, 45 Indian Institutes across the country have used this facility and published research papers in top-ranking International Journals. In the second phase , JNCASR and SINP jointly developed the beamline further to cater to the need of various users from India by implementing various modes of operation of the Indian beamline.
The required planning was finalized during a one-year extension  of first phase through a Memorandum of Understanding , and it was mentioned in the Joint Statement in Japan during the visit of Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, from 30 August to 3 September 2014. Recognizing the successful operation of the Indian Beam Line at High-Energy Accelerator Research Organization  at Tsukuba as a flagship cooperative activity, both sides announced their decision to take forward this collaboration in structural materials science area to the second phase for the study of advanced materials. Now it has been extended to the third phase.
Ministry of Power
Telephonic Talk between Union Minister for Power and MNRE, Shri RK Singh and Mr John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
India proposes to mandate using Green hydrogen in fertilisers and refining
India planning bids for 4000 MW capacity of electrolysers and Battery Energy Storage System of 4000 MWh capacity
Mr John Kerry has congratulated India on achievements in renewable energy on reaching 146GW Renewables with 63 GW under construction and 25 GW under bids. Union Minister R.K. Singh has informed Mr. Kerry about India’s plan to emerge as a Global leader in Green Hydrogen.
India is proposing to mandate using green hydrogen in fertilizer and in refining. This is part of the Government’s commitment towards replacing grey hydrogen with green hydrogen. This was stated by Union Minister for power and MNRE Shri RK Singh in a telephonic talk with Mr John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate  here last evening.
Shri Singh underlined to the US Presidential envoy, that the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi places the highest importance on the environment. He suggested to him that India and USA could work together in the areas of innovations for power and technology, pointing out the requirement of bringing down the cost of storage of renewable power. India is in the process for inviting bids for 4000 Megawatt hour of battery storage.
The Minister informed Mr Kerry about the recent milestone the country had achieved by crossing 100 GW in Installed Solar and Wind Capacity. If we add Hydro capacity also, the total installed renewable capacity is 147 MW. Further, 63 GW of renewable capacity is under construction which makes India one of the fastest growing in terms of renewable capacity addition.
Shri Singh also informed Mr Kerry that the National Hydrogen Energy Mission has been launched to enable cost competitive green hydrogen production. He added that India would be conducting competitive bids for green hydrogen in next 3-4 months to pave the road for viable usage of hydrogen as a fuel. India is looking at bids for 4000 MW of electrolysers capacity. The other countries need to come up with more electrolyser plants to bring down the costs.
It was suggested that India and USA should work at setting up an alternate supply chain for lithium in order to secure inputs material for battery Energy Storage. Shri Singh and Mr Kerry are expected to meet shortly to take forward discussions on Energy Transition.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Partnership with International Agencies
To ensure that skilling fulfils the aspiration of the people at local level including Panchayat level, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is laying emphasis on empowering the District. It is envisaged that the District Skill Committee under the District Collector would not only facilitate development of district skill development plans but also oversee the implementations for better delivery. District Skill Committees would work closely with the Ministry to drive skill development initiatives. In order to strengthen resource support at District level, the Ministry has also introduced the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship , an initiative designed and implemented by IIM Bangalore in collaboration with State Skill Development Missions , where fellows will be posted in the districts for 2 years and will work closely with the district administration to create specific State Skill Development Plans. Relevant local and state level programs will also receive additional funding under the SANKALP scheme of MSDE, beyond the already allocated state incentive grants. Ministry of Education is implementing the Scheme of Vocationalisation of School Education under the umbrella of ‘SamagraShiksha – an integrated scheme for school education’. Under the scheme a vocational subject is offered for Classes IX to XII along with the general education to provide necessary vocational skills for variety of occupations along with awareness about the benefits of vocational education. The National Skill Development Corporation under the Ministry has signed Memorandum of Understanding  with 8 countries viz, Japan, UAE, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Russia, Finland and Morocco for cooperation in the field of vocational education and training.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri R.K. Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
36.13 Cr. Vaccine Doses administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India reports 43,733 new cases in last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload declines to 4,59,920
Active cases constitute 1.5% of total cases
2,97,99,534 Total Recoveries across the country so far
47,240 patients recovered during last 24 hours
Daily recoveries continue to outnumber the Daily New Cases for the 55th consecutive day
Recovery Rate increases to 97.18%
Weekly Positivity Rate remains below 5%, currently at 2.39%
Daily positivity rate at 2.29%, less than 3% for 16 consecutive days
Testing capacity substantially ramped up – 42.33 cr tests total conducted